


Nothing To Bind Us But Love

by MagpieMorality



Series: Owing Me, Owing You [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Established Relationship, Fae Deceit, Fantasy battles, M/M, Minor Character Death, Post Main Story, War, human remus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:10:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpieMorality/pseuds/MagpieMorality
Summary: Set after the first story of the Owing Me, Owing You AU.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Series: Owing Me, Owing You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653271
Comments: 34
Kudos: 123





	1. A Wedding Gift

**Author's Note:**

> From this prompt:
> 
> So I know your fae thing is like, done, but do they ever learn each other’s names?

“How long do you think we’ve been here?” Remus wondered one day. From that first step through the wall between worlds, time had quickly begun to blend into one hazy stream of bliss. They were lying on the soft grass, green in a way that Remus could never describe. It was a green that made you understand what green was really, truly supposed to be; nothing like the pale imitation in his old world. Everything was bright, richer, _more_ here and that wasn’t just limited to the flora- Remus himself felt like he hadn’t been truly alive until his bones started to sing with the magic that hummed through the air here. 

“Does it matter?” Firefly asked, the words muffled into Remus’s chest. Remus huffed and glanced down at the Fae trying to nap on his chest, humming softly as the human played with his hair. No, he supposed, it didn’t really. “Do you want to go back?” The Fae asked after a few more minutes of silence, twisting around so he could keep his cheek pressed to his human but was able to blink up at him too. Remus just curled his arm back around him, tossing an arm up behind his head and gazing at the impossibly fluffy clouds above. 

Did he want to go back? “No. I don’t miss it. I only wonder, has it been a year yet? You know us mortals, we like to put labels on time. I’ve been thinking of anniversaries.” 

Firefly wrinkled his nose like he’d tasted something odd. “Anniversaries? Why would you need one of those? We are forever. There’s no success in lasting a certain amount of time anymore.” 

Remus chuckled, tugging on a lock of hair and yelping when Firefly tilted his head and nipped his collarbone in revenge. “Alright, no anniversaries. We are forever,” he agreed. “How about a celebration then? A pledging, to soothe my poor mother’s voice in my head. She would be so disappointed in me, living in unmarried sin, even with such a heavenly creature as you.” The more he thought about it, the more he warmed to the idea. “We could have a wedding, invite those demons you call cousins, find a token or whatever it is that takes your fancy.” 

“My dear human, is this what your people take for a proposal? It’s not very impressive...” 

“Why you-” Firefly shrieked with laughter when Remus rolled him over and tickled him into breathless pleas for mercy, taking full advantage of his position to duck down and taste those tempting lips. “It was merely a suggestion, and you know it, bug.” 

His Fae stuck his tongue out and held him close, their positions comfortably reversed. “I would find it quite thrilling to marry you, certainly. But as for tokens,” he hesitated. “I have an idea. If you would be amenable that is, but it would certainly be of benefit to your safety and my peace of mind. A token need not be an object.”

Understanding passed between them in the meeting of gazes, and Remus sat up with him when the Fae pushed at his chest. He laid a hand over Remus’s heart, high up so his splayed fingers touched the base of his throat at the same time, bright eyes searching the human’s face. “You want my name,” Remus murmured, and Firefly slowly nodded. “And in return you would give me yours?” Another nod. 

“Should you decide that’s something you want.”

“Sweetling, nothing would bring me more joy.” Firefly’s smile burned hotter than the sun overhead, blazing heat through Remus when he pressed his own to it. “Tell me,” the human murmured against his love’s lips. “Give me your name, love.” Firefly grinned wider and pressed it into Remus’s waiting mouth. 

“ _Eavan_.” Remus tasted the truth of it as it skipped over his tongue and down to wrap around his heart. He gasped at the flare of actual magic that came with the gift, opening his eyes to see Eavan looking at him with such clear fondness it made him gasp all over again. He felt like he could see him in entirely new ways, as though he’d been looking through blurred glass until that moment. “Your Eavan,” Fi- Eavan added shyly. “Who is patiently waiting for your own name, as it happens.” 

“Oh, right,” Remus shook his head, but the new definition didn’t leave. “Well, much as you apparently like to believe it’s some combination of foolish human, idiot, or mortal, I tend to prefer to go by Remus.” 

That same jolt of magic felt different from the other side, but he saw the way it affected Eavan, making his constant, lustrous shine flare. 

And naturally all that then was left, was for Fae and human to thoroughly familiarise themselves with the taste of those names, murmuring and passing them back and forth between their kiss-swollen lips until one ran into the other and they weren’t sure whose was whose. But that no longer seemed to matter very much at all.


	2. A Wedding Gift, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this prompt:
> 
> Now that they're married, are your fae gays gonna have a fancy reception? How do Firefly's family/friends feel about not being invited to the wedding, since it was suggested and completed in the span of only a few minutes?

Remus was… not overly fond of Eavan’s cousins. They’re not even technically cousins, apparently, but the look on his Firefly’s face when he’d asked what that meant had indicated that even Eavan (heh, that rhyme never gets old, even in his head) didn’t truly know. It comes with the odd mystery of how Faerie families work, which Eavan mostly tended to just shrug at, unconcerned. 

Still, either way there were other Fae around that came to visit them occasionally, and they were probably equally as leery of Remus as he was of them. They were the epitome of what anyone would expect of Fae; cryptic, tricky and just all round not very nice. It was a good thing that he’d already given his name to Eavan because Remus knew well enough that he could easily end up outsmarted by one of the group and in an unpleasant predicament. 

Three of them showed up not long after the exchanging of their tokens, and the tallest one immediately stopped and stared at Remus. “You’ve stooped very low,” they said to Eavan, who was decidedly flustered but hiding it well, Remus thought. “A mortal? Even here, he will grow boring eventually.” 

“I don’t find him boring in the slightest,” Eavan responded mildly. He gripped Remus tightly by the hand but smiled pleasantly at the three somehow. “And I’ll thank you to be a bit kinder to my beloved.”

The tall one sniffed, rolling one shoulder in an artful shrug, affecting nonchalance and wandering off to the nearby pond to drink. The other two stood there silently- creepy as all heck- and then followed. “You know, we could just tell them to go away…” Remus muttered, mostly to make Eavan smother a laugh. “They’re not even really your cousins.” 

“I know dear one, but they’re a bit territorial. Consider this the wedding ceremony; get through it and you’ll never have to face them again.” 

An appealing prospect. Remus perked up quickly and the next time the trio came over he was far more ready to behave. 

If only they’d felt the same way. 

They needled and prodded, complaining and insulting him in their various sly ways, for a solid three hours until the sun started to fall towards the horizon. When it finally disappeared the four Fae began their nightly glow, and as they all sat around on the stumps and stones their location offered, three sets of sharp teeth turned to grin at him. “You have done well to be patient, mortal,” the tall one said. “But you must be given our gifts now.” 

“Oh that’s _really not necessary_ -” Eavan hissed from his place on the ground by Remus’s feet, but one of the quiet ones stood up and raised a hand to quiet him. 

“Please, we insist. Here mortal, a tonic of pure starlight, that must be taken and not given. It will allow you to navigate the darkness as we do.” 

Remus stared at the glimmering glass bottle that was held out apparently from nowhere. He could feel the odd heat of it as he reached out, but when he took hold of it he felt only a vague warmth rush through him. Eavan let out what was probably a breath of relief, and Remus nodded- _never verbally thank a Fae, he’d been taught_ \- his gratitude. The Fae eyed him for a moment, but slunk back to their place on the grass opposite the couple. 

The next quiet one stood as well and moved forwards, producing a pair of simple anklets made from some blue material and holding them forwards in their palms. “To ground you to this land but allow you cross it at great speed, a pair of sky charms. They must be taken and not given.” Once again Remus tentatively reached for the gift, and once again as he fingers got closer he felt something odd; this time the skin started to itch, but for a second time nothing at all happened when he took them. The Fae faltered, glancing back at their companions before accepting his nod and hurrying back to their seat, clearly disappointed. 

The tall Fae, now that Remus had something to compare it to, looked apoplectic with rage. They unfolded slowly from their perch, looking down at him silently for a moment that hung in the air, before taking a knee in front of him, bowing their head to look Eavan in the eyes instead. “You’d do much for him, cousin,” they murmured. 

Remus realised something was wrong when Eavan only softly gasped. He was sweating when Remus looked down, silently panting for breath and- how long had he been clutching Remus’s leg? He’d barely even noticed. 

“Pax, cousin, your courage is admirable but he cannot be worth this pain,” the tall Fae said, voice oozing persuasive charm. But Eavan lifted his head and bared his teeth and Remus smiled with pride; he knew that look intimately well. Firefly was settling in to out-stubborn his opposition, and Remus had not once defeated that look. 

“You may as well give up whatever horrid game you’re playing,” Remus told their guests. 

“Stay out of it, mortal,” the first gifter warned him. But Remus had never been one to back down, much like his Fae, still locked in a silent stare with the tall cousin. 

“I would endure anything for my beloved,” Eavan croaked, interrupting the tension. “I would give him everything until I have nothing left to give. And I know without hesitation that he would do the same.” 

It broken some spell and Eavan slumped heavily into Remus’s legs, sighing in relief. The human leaned down to comfort him but the tall Fae stopped him with a hand on his chest. “One final gift, freely given,” they murmured, straightening back up. “The gift of our support, should you ever find yourself in need in these lands. Call on us and we will come.” An ornate horn came into being before Remus’s very eyes, the gold inlays gleaming in the light that spilled out from each Fae. “And now, we would very much like to tell you a few tales of our little cousin’s more… misspent youth, if you would hear them?” 

The change was incredible, where before all three had given Remus the feeling of being hunted, now they lounged comfortably, relaxed and open and friendly. Eavan groaned softly, but from embarrassment rather than pain, and the second gifter chuckled. 

“Oh, would I _ever_!” Remus beamed, his gifts set carefully aside. He would ask Eavan tomorrow what had happened here tonight, but for now he wouldn’t tempt fate. And besides; who didn’t want to hear how their charming and composed husband had embarrassed himself as a youth? 


	3. A Wedding Gift, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this prompt:
> 
> Gotta say, I am now SUPER curious about what was up with the gifts, and why Firefly was so stressed.

The cousins left the next morning, bowing their heads one by one at Remus and Eavan, and breaking into a swift run until they slipped into one of the patches of forest that dotted the land around them.

Remus watched them go with a faraway look, thinking on the last thing the tall one had said to him, when Eavan was fast asleep in his arms and the other two Fae were talking quietly a little way off in the darkness. “Not many would give what he has given, for a mortal,” the Fae had said. “We are not a race that is overly fond of suffering, when so little in the world can hurt us. But my little cousin did not hesitate.” 

Remus had frowned, trying to work out what was not being said, because that was often where the message of most importance lay with these tricky creatures. 

“Treat him well, Remus the Mortal. Hurt him and suffer his hurt tenfold.” 

It hadn’t surprised Remus that someone this Fae knew his name, and he had simply nodded once, taking the warning for the protective threat it was. 

But now, watching the trio vanish between the trees, he felt the sudden strong urge to bring the conversation up again, and find out what Eavan had done the night before that had so stunned and impressed his cousins and made him react so oddly. 

His Firefly could apparently read the question in his eyes before he asked it, because when Remus turned to him and opened his mouth he held a finger to his lips and smiled softly. “I will tell you. But when we’ve eaten. You still need food as ever, my dear idiot.” He cupped Remus’s cheek tenderly and led him off to the cabin they’d made their home of. 

* * *

“Will you tell me now, my love?” Remus asked, pulling Eavan by the hands into the deep, slow running river to bathe. “Your cousin had some choice words to say last night, I’m a little scared of the truth but I want to hear it.”

Eavan lay back and floated on the water with a sigh, his lovely hair fanning out on the current. Remus moved to stand behind him and comb it through, washing any remaining dirt out of the fine strands. “It was a test. But not for you, Remus; for me. I don’t think they intended it to be because they are... they are dear to me but they couldn’t possibly have understood how much I would hate to see you hurt.” Remus made a soft sound and ran the backs of his fingers over Eavan’s cheeks. 

His Fae looked at him, standing up on the riverbed and slipping his arms around Remus’s body. “You were hurting. For me?” Remus murmured, gazing at him in awe. “I felt...”

“Hopefully only echoes. It was not easy to take or to go through but I did it anyway. I don’t need your gratitude or your guilt, my darling fool, but I would very much appreciate perhaps a kiss?” 

Remus snorted, dipping him nearly back down to the river’s surface to kiss a smile onto his face. “There. Neither gratitude nor guilt; only a whole lot of pride.” 

Eavan blushed. “You don’t have to be proud of me for-”

“Oh, no you misunderstand, Firefly,” the mortal grinned. “I’m proud of myself. How many men can say they captured the heart of such a stubborn, pretty Fae, seduced him until he would suffer greatly on my behalf? I am clearly a king among mortals, as it is.” 

“Why you cheeky little human!” Eavan squawked, tackling Remus into the water without any further words. 

The birds resting in the trees nearby startled away at the sound of their gleeful play and the splashing of water. 


	4. Making Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this prompt:
> 
> “OH you’re jealous!” i can't choose a pairing sorry but i have a feeling you'd like it with dukeceit 💛

Time becomes meaningless in the land of the Fae. Remus forgets to even think about it after a while, and there's a newfound freedom in the endlessness of it all.

They spend days exploring the lands; caverns, forests, lakes and glaciers, mountains and marshes and occasionally nearing some of the larger gatherings of Fae but mostly staying away. The cousins show up oddly often, considering how far Remus and his Firefly roam, but it's a comfort and he grows to appreciate their presence when they deign to grace the couple with it.

They all have a similar brand of incredibly dry, slightly high-brow wit, that slowly but surely stops flying over Remus's head as he learns, taking in information that he never had access too before. He loves it, he finds out, and craves the stories and experiences that build a bigger picture of the world in his mind's eye.

Tall Fae seems to be quite taken by the human's enthusiasm, and starts to show up with new information time after time. Shortstop and Wisecrack, the names he's decided suit the other two, are more interested in lazing around together like cats, dragging Eavan into cuddle piles or occasionally trying to convince them to join a wild adventure that Tall Fae just rolls his eyes at.

It doesn't take long before Tall and Remus are greeting each other with familiarity when those three figures appear on the horizon, sharing smiles and arm clasp greetings and going off on a discussion of some new thing. Eavan is pleased at first.

And then he starts to get huffy.

"Firefly, come on, at least tell me what I did!" Remus whines, catching Eavan by the arm. The Fae isn't amused and turns on him with bared teeth, but Remus counteracts the warning by cupping his sulky, beautiful face and kissing the tip of his nose. "I can't read your mind, my love."

"There is nothing to read!" Eavan protests, wriggling out of Remus grip and stalking off. He still lets his human wash his hair for him that afternoon, pushing into the head massages like a cat. It's a very good comparison, Remus has found. And it amuses him to think of his fiery darling fluffing up whenever he turns those sharp teeth towards a threat. Imagine all that long gold hair standing on end... What a sight!

It seems to be worse after his cousins leave, Remus notes, carefully observing over the next few months. Perhaps he misses them? "We could arrange to see them more often, if you'd like," Remus suggests one evening, holding Eavan back against his chest as they watch the stars on the side of a hill, warmed by each other.

Eavan digs his sharp fingers into Remus's leg in reply. It hurts, and Remus swears at him loudly.

"That's _it_! You're being mean and I don't understand why! I thought it had something to do with your cousins, but now this-"

"Oh they're _my_ cousins, are they? I thought they were your new best friends. Could've fooled me, with how you've been mooning after the eldest the way you have!"

Ah! Bingo. "Oh, you’re jealous!" Remus realises in a flash of epiphany. It all makes sense. His Firefly has never been the most even-tempered, easy-going individual, Fae nature aside. Fae nature _involved_ ; he's even worse. 

"You never look that excited to see me!" Eavan cries, folding his arms to emphasise his point. "It's not fair, beloved. What can he give you that I can't?! If it's just information you want then-mm!"

Remus stifles the rant with his lips, curling over Eavan and tilting his jaw in a swift movement to catch him by surprise. It has the desired effect; quieting his spitting mad Firefly and hopefully soothing his jealousy. "He can't give me the warmth I have in my chest when I see you, nor the ache I feel when you're not in my arms. He certainly can't make me feel as wild and precious and blessed as you do when you kiss me. I enjoy the learning and we're bonding over that, cuddlebug-"

"Don't call me that." Remus rolls his eyes and continues.

"I love you, from the tips of my toes to the ends of my frankly, far too long hair. Every inch of me is yours, never doubt that. Did I leave my own world for him and the promise of a life by _his_ side? Well, did I?"

"... No."

"Exactly," the human smiles, kissing the Fae once again. "Now why don't you tell me another story of your stars, before we sleep? Would that please you?"

The sentiment clearly appeals to Eavan, and he sighs, settling back into relaxed comfort, threading his fingers through the hand Remus has over his stomach. "It would please me," he murmurs, lilting voice filling the air as he points out the latest constellation for Remus to learn about, shining down over them with sparkling benevolence as they lie together on the grass.


	5. Friends And Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From a prompt asking for more Tall Fae :)
> 
> Warnings: disappearance, implied panic attack

They go a while without seeing any of Eavan's cousins. It's a peaceful time, full of long, dreamy days and sweet, quiet nights. They drift over the land, sleeping under the stars, never too cold or too hot, unbothered by the passing of time. They eat what they find and bathe where they will, and revel in being in each other's company.

It's idyllic, but it can't last. Even here, in what seems like a perfect world, there are moments of fear and moments of anger.

Fae are unpredictable, and often solitary or found in very small packs. The trio of cousins is the largest group Remus has seen on their travels, and the only other Fae he's seen up close apart from Eavan. There are occasionally silhouettes on the horizon, or the sound of voices on the breeze, but mostly his Firefly keeps him far from any potential problems.

In any case they go a while without seeing the cousins either. They must be distant, off doing whatever it is they spend their days doing. Eavan tells stories, of grand hunts and courts and riders that travel the land and flit over and across the borders on moonless nights. Remus is never sure how much of it is story and how much is _history_ but he doesn't care too much to wonder too deeply. He is wholly and truly content with his life with his Fae, whiling away the endless days.

So it comes as somewhat of a shock when his Firefly disappears one night.

Perhaps more than somewhat. Remus doesn't panic immediately, but it is odd. They're in the plains, big rolling hills that are so sprawling they're almost flat at the top and bottom of each one. There's not that much cover around, so he should be able to see Eavan nearby, or even in the distance, but there's nothing.

The charms on his ankles allow him to jog around at great speed, making a wide spiral out from where they'd been sleeping, wider and wider and further and further and faster and faster until he's running, shouting for his Firefly, not daring to use his name here.

Silence greets him, silence and the faintest sound of bells on the wind.

What can he do? What can he, Remus, a mortal in the realm of the immortals, do to find or, heavens forbid, _rescue_ his beloved Firefly?

He sits heavily on the ground, and the horn perpetually fastened at his hip knocks gently against his leg, a reminder that it is still here. Use me, it seems to call, and Remus nearly chokes in his hurry to inhale and blow it.

"Work, damn you!" Remus shouts when the useless thing doesn't make a noise. He checks it for blockages, blowing and blowing and nothing works. It's broken, or he doesn't know how to use it properly, and Eavan is gone, and he doesn't know _why_.

"You are alone?" A voice startles him up to his feet. It's Tall Fae, and Remus practically sobs in relief.

"He's gone, I don't know where! He's been taken, I think!"

Tall sniffs the air, sharp eyes scanning around quickly. "Gone. Taken?"

Remus clutches at Tall's tunic front, desperate with worry. "Gone. Help me! Help me find him, I don't know where he could be! Who would take him?!"

With gentle but firm hands, Tall guides his hands out of their grasp. He looks at Remus and rests a hand on his shoulder earnestly, as the other two cousins appear nearby. With a quick snap of words Tall sends them both running, and sits Remus down to breathe when the mortal finds his panic mounting again.

"They will find him," Tall promises in his low, smooth voice. It's comforting. So is the way he lets Remus hold onto his hand, feeling very young next to the utterly calm patience and certainty of the immortal at his side. "He will be unharmed or we will take matters further. You have done the right thing, you need not worry now."

"How can you be sure?" Remus wheezes, and Tall smiles a rare smile. It's a little dark, but Remus is reassured by that darkness. It's the sort of darkness that promises things will get done.

Tall sweeps a hand out across the hills. "This belongs to me. Anyone who has attempted to take my cousin will answer to me. And no one wants to answer to me. My two hunters will find your beloved and bring him back to you. In the meantime, I have heard the most intriguing thing about 'thatched roofs', would you tell me more?"

The distraction works. Remus goes on a long ramble, trying to recall everything he knows of thatching and roofing and mundane earthy tasks. The memories are vague and hazy but it is the conversation more than the facts that Tall wants from him now. They talk, Tall telling stories Remus knows from Eavan, but with far more detail. He describes the thunder of hooves and the fierce glee of fighting. He whispers that Remus is lucky to have not only Eavan's protection but his own. He would not have suffered a human to wander the land before meeting Remus, that was certain.

As the sun sets Tall walks with him, letting the mortal pace out his frantic energy. "It's a beautiful place, but it hurts to stay still nowadays," the Fae murmurs out of the blue. Remus turns to him, surprised to hear pain in his voice. "I was once something else than what I am now. Something more. But now I am just… A cousin."

"And a friend?" Remus offers.

"Perhaps. Although cousin is, it means more to us than to you. It is chosen, not born. Cousins know each other more than your ideas of family ever could. Even by name. But perhaps…"

They're on the top of a hill when he trails off thoughtfully, one of many, and when three figures appear on the horizon Remus _runs_.

It's the other two cousins and his Firefly, his Eavan. He catches Eavan in a tight hug, sweeping him up into his arms and pressing urgent kisses over his face, falling to the ground with the Fae clutched tight to his chest. "I thought you were lost to me," he croaks, as Eavan strokes his face with a tender smile, fingers trembling slightly.

" _Never_. I would have come back to you, had my cousins not found me first. I am unharmed, beloved, check and you will find no wounds."

"None?" Remus asks, to be sure. Eavan nods and they rest their foreheads together and breathe.

The cousins stand vigil nearby until the pair are calm enough to rejoin the trio of Fae. "Thank you," Remus whispers, holding a hand out. He has to show Tall how to clasp his forearm in a move Remus tells him is for the closest of allies and brothers.

"No, not brothers; cousins?" Tall says, a hint of something uncertain in his eyes. When Remus nods his acceptance and understanding with a broad grin, he draws himself up proudly and nods back, arm still firmly pressed against the mortal's. "Cousins, then. And Remus, take care."

Remus catches his wrist before he can pull too far away. "Cousins know each other's names, you said. And you already know mine…?" It's cheeky, and Eavan actually gasps at the insolence, but Tall breaks into a soft chuckle.

He dips his head. "You are correct, Remus. And you may know my name, as my newest cousin. You may know me as Logan, and please remember, I remain only a horn's call away." He shares another smile with Remus and turns to leave, before pausing and twisting back momentarily. "I should add; you really only need to blow it the once, mind. It makes an awful racket, truly dire. I have a very good pair of ears, I promise," Logan teases, and when Remus laughs the Fae takes his leave, the other two cousins sloping off as they quickly vanish again.

"Cousins?" Eavan asks, crawling over him later that night to tuck up beneath his human's chin. "He must like you."

"I can't imagine why," Remus replies, holding him close. He has nothing to be worried about; Eavan explained it was a magical trap, laid to transport him far away and split them apart to leave the mortal as easy pickings for whatever opposing force had chosen to target them. An enemy of Logan's, or perhaps simply a Fae discontent with the presence of a mortal. But despite the reassurance he makes sure to hold his beloved Firefly very, very tight that night.


	6. Logan's Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this prompt:
> 
> Okay okay okay can we learn more about Tall Logan :0?

"I'd like to tell you a tale, Remus," Logan said one evening. It was the depth of what passed for winter there in the land of eternal temperate weather. Mostly the nights just felt a little longer, and Eavan's cousins had joined them to journey into the mountains to explore for the season. They'd found a cave and had stoked up a fire, and with Eavan's head in his lap Remus had suggested they find a way to pass the time.

"You have my leave," Remus agreed, getting comfortable and pulling his Fae into his lap and back against his chest to cuddle. "What's it about, your tale?"

Logan glanced at the two other cousins, and they apparently understood some unspoken signal because the first sat bolt upright with wide eyes and the other hid his face in the first's side with a soft sound. "A King, a long time ago," Logan answered slowly, dragging his eyes away from the other two and back over to Remus. "A King of lands unimaginable. Perhaps more than a King, because he ruled entirely unopposed for more years than can be counted, revered almost as a god of the world you now tread."

Eavan shifted. "I don't know this tale," he murmured.

"That's because I have never told it. It's too old and too sad for most days, but it feels right to tell it now, here." Logan and the other two Fae looked around with a curious expression in their eyes before all three refocused on the fire, their glow outlining them to Remus from the opposite side. "Will you hear it?"

The mortal shrugged and his Fae nodded. "Yes, go right ahead," Remus agreed, and tugged his Firefly a little closer for comfort as they got ready to listen.

The tallest Fae nodded slowly, staring into the fire with eyes already gone distant again. "Where to start?" He murmured to himself, as the air hung still and saturated with anticipation.

For a moment the only sound was the soft crackle of the flames, before the Fae who'd hidden his face sat back up, still clutching the other for support. "Start with the beginning of the end, Lo," he whispered, reaching out a hand that Logan took, locking their fingers together. The second Fae nodded his agreement, curling tighter around the first, gazing attentively at their soon-to-be storyteller.

"The beginning of the end, indeed."

* * *

"I must stress first that it truly was a shock when things changed. Change was almost unthinkable before that time, after so long of the same and the same and more of the same. The world was smaller then, or perhaps it was bigger, but it felt entirely complete from land to sea to sky and nothing ever strayed from the norm. Oh, people would travel, bicker perhaps, have their own little intrigues and very occasionally there were children born or changes to households through bonding ceremonies or departures, but true change was quite inconceivable. Even the land was simple then, mostly flat plains and rolling hills all covered in rich forest, and the folk gathered in large droves around the shore where the seas would provide for there was little water inland.

The first tremors of change came with the winds. Where there had once been peace with the sky before now there was instead a restlessness. The flurries agitated the trees, and the tides, and the people who walked across the land, sometimes playful or gentle but often biting and bitter and cruel. The King who ruled heard of this new attitude of his once great ally, but little did he know he should not blame the wind, for it was not of its own accord that it was acting so strange.

If only they'd known that then.

Next came the seas, clashing on the shore, stealing the fish, drawing out and rushing in, still when they should run with current and sneaky when anyone tried to swim. Too many were lost to the depths before caution was observed, and the sprawling towns that ran up and down the shoreline grew afraid, always waiting for the sea to rise and claim their homes as it seemed so likely to do.

Which left, of course, just the land as not turned traitor to the folk that lived on it. Before the land could inevitably also rise up against them, the King had word of a possible cause of all of their sudden troubles. There was a faction of miscreants, troublemakers, _traitors_ , who were using magics too dark to contemplate to upset the world against the inhabitants thereof. They weren't targeting the King directly, nor did they seem to have much motivation other than to sow pure chaos, but what they were spreading in its wake was fear and uncertainty and most importantly doubt. People were growing wary and losing faith in their King, and the witches and warlocks delighted in what they'd caused, growing ever bolder.

The King called a council swiftly together, of the Lords of the land he presided over. They came from every corner, all but one. She was called Lord of West because of where she held dominion, but she had reportedly been waylaid by a group of these fanatics. At first there was much sorrow and shock, because Fae were so rarely lost in those days, and even now death is often far from our minds. But the messenger who brought the news had other information to share as well. 

The fanatics had been bold, loudly proclaiming themselves true children of the land, which in our oldest language we knew as 'dragon'. These dragons had spun their sorcery over the Lord and had not killed her but entrapped her in a new form, that was bound to unleash destruction on the towns, already burning a wide trail through the forests from her home towards their goal, leaving great swathes of open land where once the trees had flourished.

So the sorrow turned to rage and determination, and the King and his council rode out, gathering armies out of Fae who were more used to tilling and tending the land than defending it. There were a few protests from those Fae who turned out to be sympathetic to the cause, calling for change and crowing injustice whenever they were caught and expelled from the army, but the King and his people carried on despite the growing dissent and he told his people to be merciful, to let them leave to join their chosen side and fight with what honour they had left. 

They intercepted the dragons, the Fae who had joined them, and their enslaved Lord long before they reached the peaceful shore, clashing against them army to gaggle of _scum_. The fight was long and bloody and hard, and magic rent and tore the world around them all, pulling seas inland in great rivers, thrusting the earth up to form new mountains at the top of which great storms gathered, shaking trees down many miles away from earthquakes that rocked the ground beneath their feet. 

But they were vanquished when one brave young Fae threw themself from their horse and climbed up the wing of the Lord, foolishly sacrificing themself so that she may be freed from the magic with a spell that has been since banished from memory. The energy involved in that sacrifice shook the foundations of the earth more than any quake before and all those who had fought on those plains were lost in a moment. Too much other magic lay in the air and the sacrifice in the end, ended the battle only at unbelievable cost.

The King himself had been stood at what passed for the enchanted Lord's feet, near the very epicentre of the spell, attempting to reach one of the dragons spouting the foulest magic. 

The remaining Fae saw the lights all the way from their homes by the sea and knew what it meant. That magic left behind the first cracks through to the world of mortals, and the Fae that remained living became wary of one another and governed only in small tribes at most. The shoreside towns were abandoned as the seas grew too unpredictable and the Fae became rovers, almost solitary, _wild_. Changed. 

In many ways the dragons in fact achieved their goals." 

* * *

Logan paused for breath, shaking his head slowly and bowing it with a weight Remus could almost see crushing down on him. "That's... awful," the mortal whispered hoarsely, hugging Eavan tighter. The air felt colder and he shivered. 

"Awful does not begin to cover it," the second cousin said, lifting his head from where he'd clung to the first. "It hurts my very soul to hear the tale."

"And there is more to come, hush," the first murmured, still holding Logan's hand tightly. "There is more, Lo. Don't stop there." They all watched as Logan took a deep, unsteady breath, and lifted his head again, squaring his shoulders with a determined nod. 

"Quite right."

* * *

"It was not the end of the story for the King. For he had not been killed, but thrown far, far away. The dragon he had been fighting had hit him with a bolt of some still unknown magic at the moment the sacrifice was made. I'm sure you may have realised by now that magic is incredibly delicate, and easily mixed and merged to disastrous effect. That magic that enveloped the King combined with the sacrificial spell and every other piece of wild magic in the air and, through some stroke of perhaps fated luck; protected the heart of him as he was transported.

For many years he remained unseen, unknown and yet alive, healing deep in the mountains with V- it appears I- I must have missed a part, my apologies.

Something else happened when he first awoke after the battle. There was the sound of a child crying, and he sat up. Everything hurt, of course it did after what he'd been through, but he could only think to get to the child. A tiny Fae child, so rare, was lying nearby and calling for him. He cradled it in his arms and promised to care for it. No one else could be nearby, he reasoned, if they'd left the child next to his body and run off. 

Except there _was_ someone else. Another Fae, but this one an adult. He was surprised to find the King awake, and explained that he'd been running with the child, fleeing from the growing mountains, when he had heard an almighty crash and had diverted to investigate as the mountains finally settled and the magic dispersed. He had recognised the King and set out to find the herbs to help with his injuries, leaving the child alongside his body as he swiftly searched nearby. His home had once been where the mountains now stood, he said, and the remains of it lay far up in the peaks that towered above them. He had pledged himself immediately to help the King and the child, and together they built a home in a cavern, far away from the rest of the Fae where they would be safe and the King could recover. 

It was slow progress, and the King insisted every time the Fae offered, that they not send word to anyone about his whereabouts. He was changed, he said, and he had only one charge left to protect, which was the child. After a while the answer changed to two charges, as the other Fae grew to mean much to him in their solitary convalescence. Years passed until they were all strong enough to travel, and the King finally felt restless enough to want to see the aftermath of what had happened, ready to mourn the losses and adapt to the new world.

They found the world as I said, much changed. Insular, isolated pockets of Fae, distrustful and doubtful and proud. It hurt his heart to see it, and to see how few and far between they really had become, but nonetheless there were survivors and he could be nothing but glad for that. The Fae with him helped him raise the orphan child as they journeyed, and they found a new and deeper bond between them, growing close on their long travels across the world that he'd once called his own. 

While there were many years to come we will skip to the final chapter to this story. It comes some while after, when the King had long been forgotten. Or so he had thought, but one auspicious day, upon finding a copse and staying in it a while, they were interrupted by another Fae journeying, equally restlessly, across the land. 

Once a member of the King's court, this new Fae recognised his King immediately and wept to find him alive, falling into his arms with grief and relief in equal measures. They spoke for many long hours as his first companion tended the child, and after much arguing finally agreed that the decision to no longer be king was the right one, much as the court Fae despised seeing his King no longer afforded the respect his long term of service to their people had rightfully earned. He joined their party and ever since they have all roamed together, closer than family, the three of them raising the child as their young cousin until he was ready to explore the land of his own accord. 

The young child Fae left, roaming alone, and for a long while the three old Fae travelled without him. They turned to a new task, keeping order among the Fae that remained in the world and keeping as tight a grasp as possible on the doorways between your land and ours. Their little cousin visited from time to time, until one day he quite abruptly vanished from the world. And when he at last returned he brought an entirely new chapter to their lives, one that has yet again changed things anew. Perhaps, hopefully, for the better."

* * *

Logan leaned back and nodded slowly, satisfied with the conclusion to his storytelling. 

They sat in silence for a while, gazing at the flickering fire and letting the tale sit in the air between them all. Then the first cousin, the one holding Logan's hand, squeezed it and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek with a soft look, and the other took up residence on the tallest Fae's other side, bracketing Logan with twin embraces.

Eavan sighed quietly, absently stroking the back of Remus's hand where it sat over his stomach. "It sounds familiar somehow, but I don't believe you've told it before," he said, frowning over at his cousins, something tense in the line of his shoulders as though his words weren't quite revealing everything they were actually saying. "It is true?"

"More true than most," the first cousin said with a smile, even though his voice was hoarse with repressed emotion. "Most of it was a very long time ago though." 

"I remember it still," Logan said sagely.

Remus looked up at him with raised eyebrows, trying to read the expression on the tall Fae's face. "You remember it? Were you there? Did you know the King?"

"In a sense," Logan replied with a wry smile. "In some ways I only joined the story later on, but that's a matter of interpretation. And as for the King, I knew him better than anyone, you might say." 

"Oh talking in riddles is unfair," the second cousin said, snorting softly. "You chose to tell the tale and you must answer their questions now."

"I will, I will. But tomorrow, after the night is done. Leave tonight for stories, tomorrow we can come to truth and answers."

Silence fell again as the five went wandering in their own thoughts. Remus could feel Eavan shifting restlessly and wondered what was going on in that pretty blond head. He was clearly thinking something through but whatever it was was, Remus was apparently going to have to wait until the morning to find out. Remus had learned a new patience from the experience of living with his Firefly, and while often he had to fight to outlast Eavan's stubbornness; this time he thought he might be able to guess what thoughts troubled his beloved.

It wouldn't be such a stretch to imagine Logan as the King of the story, with the two other Fae completing the trio, and his Fae, his Eavan as the child they'd found. It was mysteries upon mysteries and opened more questions than it answered, but such seemed to be the way with these Fae in particular, and Remus counted himself lucky to have been generously given a piece of the puzzle at all, no matter how small it might end up being. 

If he was a betting man though; he'd put all he had on this being the biggest piece of all. 


End file.
